Laura Chinchilla

Laura Chinchilla

President of Costa Rica
Incumbent
Assumed office 
8 May 2010
Vice President First: Alfio Piva
Second: Luis Liberman
Preceded by Óscar Arias
Born 28 March 1959 (1959-03-28) (age 51)
Political party National Liberation Party
Spouse(s) José María Rico
Alma mater University of Costa Rica
Georgetown University
Religion Roman Catholicism

Laura Chinchilla Miranda (born 28 March 1959) is a Costa Rican politician and the first female President of Costa Rica. She was one of Óscar Arias Sánchez's two Vice-Presidents and his administration's Minister of Justice.[1] She was the governing PLN candidate for President in the 2010 general election, where she won with 46.76% of the vote.[2] She is the sixth woman to be elected president of a Latin American country.[3] She was sworn as president of Costa Rica on May 8, 2010.[4]

Contents

Personal life

Chinchilla was born in Carmen Central, San José in 1959. Her father was Rafael Ángel Chinchilla Fallas (a former comptroller of Costa Rica)[3] and her mother was Emilce Miranda Castillo. She married Mario Alberto Madrigal Díaz on 23 January 1982 and divorced on 22 May 1985. She had a son in 1996 with José María Rico Cueto, a Spanish lawyer who also holds Canadian citizenship; Chinchilla married him on 26 March 2000.[5]

Political career

Chinchilla graduated from the University of Costa Rica and received her master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.[6][7] Prior to entering politics, Chinchilla worked as an NGO consultant in Latin America and Africa, specializing in judicial reform and public security issues. She went on to serve in the José María Figueres Olsen administration as vice-minister for public security (1994–1996) and minister of public security (1996–1998). From 2002 to 2006, she served in the National Assembly as a deputy for the province of San José.[8]

Chinchilla was one of two vice-presidents elected under the second Arias administration (2006–2010). She resigned the vice-presidency in 2008 in order to prepare her run for the presidency in 2010. On 7 June 2009 she won the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) primary with a 15% margin over her nearest rival, and was thus endorsed as the party's presidential candidate.

March for Life and Family

Laura Chinchilla.

On 28 November 2009, Chinchilla became Costa Rica's only mainstream party candidate to participate and voice support for a march dubbed "March for Life and Family". Organized by a coalition of church leaders, its stated mission conflated opposition to the legalization of abortion and granting recognition for civil unions to same-sex couples.[9] Laura Chinchilla Miranda's participation raised concerns among several Costa Rican civil and human rights leaders[10] who have regarded the event as pandering to fundamentalism and homophobia. Chinchilla stated that the march was not "against any group".[11]

Presidency

Chinchilla's Partido Liberación Nacional is a member of the Socialist International,[12] whose motto is the promotion of "progressive politics for a better world."

The British Foreign and Commonwealth minister with responsibility for Central America, Baroness Kinnock, applauded Chinchilla's election as the first female President of Costa Rica. Kinnock also praised Chinchilla for stating her continued support for the forward thinking approach by the previous government in working to combat climate change and said that the UK would continue to work with Costa Rica on this important issue in 2010.[13]

Laura Chinchilla's political platform emphasized anti-crime legislation in response to Costa Rica's growing concerns over safety. She is also expected to give continuity to the current government's pro-free trade policies. She is considered a social conservative[14]. She opposes gay marriage, but has stated publicly the need for a legal frame to provide fundamental rights sex same couples[15]. She supports maintaining the country's prohibition of abortion under most circumstances.[16]

Views on society

Chinchilla opposes any amendment of the constitution aimed at separation of church and state in Costa Rica. The constitution currently defines the Republic of Costa Rica as a Roman Catholic nation.[17] Her position contrasts with that of former President Óscar Arias Sánchez, who supports establishing a secular state.[18]

She is against legalizing the morning after pill, which is banned in Costa Rica.[19] Many pro-life supporters in Latin American countries oppose the morning after pill because they believe it to be an abortifacient. This position contradicts the World Health Organization's (WHO) statement that emergency contraception cannot be an abortifacient, because it will not work in cases when the woman is already pregnant.[20] However, this WHO statement is based on the unsettled definition of when pregnancy begins.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Chiefs of State and Cabinet members of Foreign Governments". The Central Intelligence Agency of America. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-c/costa-rica.html. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  2. ↑ "2010 Presidential election results, (in Spanish)". Supreme Court of Elections. 8 February 2010. http://www.tse.go.cr/elecciones2010/presidente.htm. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Costa Rica to inaugurate first female president Saturday". Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones, República de Costa Rica. 2010-05-06. http://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2010_05/0506101.cfm. Retrieved 2010-05-08. 
  4. ↑ Economist.com
  5. ↑ "Costa Rican electoral register (name search)". Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones, República de Costa Rica. 8 May 2010. http://www.tse.go.cr/consulta_persona/consulta_nombres.aspx. Retrieved 8 May 2010. 
  6. ↑ "Costa Rica elects first female president, Georgetown grad Laura Chinchilla". Vox Populi, Georgetown's blog of record. 8 February 2010. http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2010/02/08/costa-rica-elects-first-female-president-georgetown-grad-laura-chinchilla. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  7. ↑ "Costa Rica elects first woman president, inspiring the region". The Christian Science Monitor. 8 February 2010. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0208/Costa-Rica-elects-first-woman-president-inspiring-the-region. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  8. ↑ "Laura Chinchilla Miranda's curriculum vitae on her Facebook page". Laura Chinchilla Miranda. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=49192216499. Retrieved 2010-05-09. 
  9. ↑ "Thousands March Against Gay Civil Unions in Costa Rica". Costa Rica Pages. http://www.costaricapages.com/blog/costa-rica-news/gay-civil-unions/1250. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  10. ↑ "Una marcha vergonzosa, (in Spanish)". La Prensa Libre. 24 November 2009. http://www2.prensalibre.cr/pl/comentarios/14241-el-observador.html. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  11. ↑ "Laura Chinchilla creara ministerio de la familia, (in Spanish)". informe-c.info. 28 November 2009. http://www.informe-c.info/voto-2010/laura-chinchilla-creara-ministerio-de-la-familia-2892.html. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  12. ↑ "Socialist International Members". Socialist International. http://www.socialistinternational.org/viewArticle.cfm?ArticlePageID=1450. Retrieved February 22, 2010. 
  13. ↑ "Costa Rican Presidential elections". UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 10 February 2010. http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=21750980. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  14. ↑ "Todos rosarios". El Pais. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/ultima/Acabare/rezandome/todos/rosarios/elpepiult/20100523elpepiult_2/Tes. Retrieved June 8, 2010. 
  15. ↑ "2009 Presidential campaign-You Tube". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0jVjBkkzg. 
  16. ↑ Malkin, Elisabeth (8 February 2010). "Costa Rica: Female Leader Elected". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/world/americas/09costarica.html. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  17. ↑ "No desde Costa Rica al aborto, Estado laico y matrimonios homosexuales, (in Spanish)". elnuevoalcazar.es. 3 February 2010. http://www.elnuevoalcazar.es/2010/02/03/no-al-aborto-estado-laico-y-matrimonios-homosexuales-de-la-candidata-a-la-presidencia-de-costa-rica. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  18. ↑ "Presidente Oscar Arias apoya reforma para declarar estado laico a Costa Rica, (in Spanish)". el Economista. 10 September 2009. http://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/internacional/noticias/1528249/09/09/Presidente-Oscar-Arias-apoya-reforma-para-declarar-estado-laico-a-Costa-Rica.html. Retrieved February 2010. 
  19. ↑ "Una mujer de ordeno y mando, (in Spanish)". El Pais. 2 October 2009. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/mujer/ordeno/mando/elpepuint/20100209elpepiint_10/Tes. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  20. ↑ "Emergency contraception in the Americas". Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization. http://www.paho.org/English/AD/GE/emergencycontraception.pdf. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 
  21. ↑ "Definition: Pregnancy". The Free Dictionary. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/pregnancy. Retrieved 22 February 2010. 

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Óscar Arias		 President of Costa Rica
2010–present		 Incumbent
Current heads of state in Central American countries
Elizabeth II (Belize) · Laura Chinchilla (Costa Rica) · Mauricio Funes (El Salvador) · Álvaro Colom (Guatemala) · Porfirio Lobo Sosa (Honduras) · Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua) · Ricardo Martinelli (Panama)